Padres News: Blake Snell Makes Unique History After Winning Second Cy Young Award
San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell was named the National League Cy Young Award winner Wednesday, becoming just the seventh pitcher to win the Cy Young award in both the AL and NL.
“It means the work I’m putting in is paying off, it’s working,” Snell said on MLB Network. “… Being able to win another one is a pretty amazing thing.”
(Via Shaun O'Neill, MLB.com)
Snell is now the only player in baseball history to win multiple Cy Young awards while only being named to one MLB All-Star team.
Snell held a 2.85 ERA at the All-Star break, only allowing 14 runs in the second half of the season as the Padres tried to claw their way back into the playoff picture.
Snell received 28 first-place votes and two second-place votes while San Francisco's Logan Webb and Arizona's Zac Gallen rounded out the top three.
The 30-year-old pitcher finished with a 14-9 record while leading qualified NL starters in ERA (2.25) and simultaneously issuing the most walks in the Majors. His 234 strikeouts and .152 batting average allowed helped mitigate his tendency to give up bases.
“I kind of just looked in the mirror and said, ‘I know how good I am. If I walk guys, that’s OK for me.’ I’m different, and I believe I have such good stuff that one walk is not going to end my success or end the game. By me doing that and understanding that I’m different, but I’m really good at being different, that confidence took over and I became the pitcher that I am today," Snell said.
Snell has entered free agency and will likely attract a lucrative long-term deal in the offseason.
